An alkoxy(dialkylamino) silane can be produced in a known process, which comprises reacting an alkoxysilane with a Grignard reagent for introduction of an amino group, and in another known process of production, which uses an alkoxy halosilane as a raw material.
The processes for production of alkoxy halosilanes, which comprise reacting a tetrasilane with an alcohol, are disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1 (J. Am. Chem. Soc., Vol 68, p. 70, 1946) and Non-Patent Document 2 (Khimiya i Industriya, No. 6, p. 248, 1983).
Non-Patent Document 1 shows an experimental example using a tetrachlorosilane and an allyl alcohol under an experimental condition to obtain a triallyloxychlorosilane as a major product in which the tetrachlorosilane is reacted with the allyl alcohol at a molar ratio of 1:2.5. The yield is 53% and a much higher yield is required, needless to say. As for other kinds of alkoxychlorosilanes, such as chloro trimethoxysilane, chlorotriethoxysilane, dichlorodiethoxy silane and trichloroethoxysilane, though they can be assumably synthesized because boiling points and physical property values are described, there is no description about yields.
In Non-Patent Document 2, details such as experimental conditions are unavailable. The study abstract described in the chemical abstract No. 100:34098 shows that, among chloro ethoxysilanes as alkoxyhalosilanes, a trichloroethoxysilane with introduction of one ethoxy group is obtained at a yield of 90%, and a dichloroethoxysilane with introduction of two ethoxy groups is obtained at a yield of 95%, but a chloroethoxysilane with introduction of three ethoxy groups is obtained at a lower yield of 80%. Further, the reaction condition described includes reaction temperatures of 100-145° C., and much lower temperatures are desired.
On the other hand, Patent Document 1 (JP-A 5-310751) proposes a process for production of alkoxyhalosilanes through reaction of a tetrachlorosilane with a tetraalkoxysilane. It shows the use of an acid as a catalyst. An acid with a higher boiling point, however, causes reduction in yield in accordance with separation failures or heating under coexistence during distillation, isolation and purification of a product. Titanium tetrachloride, aluminum chloride and boron fluoride shown as examples of Lewis acid are sensitive to humidity in the atmosphere and generally have difficulties in handing. On the other hand, hydrogen halides are gases at room temperature under normal pressure and easily removable from reaction systems. This Document shows direct introduction into the reaction system and examples of generation in the system by H2O. In general, however, the need for giving attention to handing gaseous hydrogen halides increases the cost of the facility. Though the generation in the system by H2O can be considered safe and less costly, a silane halide is consumed by the extent of introduction of H20 and converted into a compound having a Si—O bond different from the aimed alkoxy silane halide. Accordingly, a problem arises because a Si-based yield is lowered. The more the quantity of the catalyst, the more the reduction in production cost can be desired because of the effect of shortening the reaction time. In this case, however, the above method requires a large amount of H2O to be introduced, which inevitably invites reduction in yield as a drawback. Examples of Patent Document 1 have yields of 60-75% at most and there is a need for processes capable of achieving much higher yields.
With respect to chlorotriethoxysilanes, Non-Patent Document 3 (Zhurnal Obshchei Khimii, vol. 65, p. 1142, 1995) discloses that when a tetrachlorosilane is reacted with a tetraalkoxysilane under condition of heating at 40° C. in the presence of 0.02-1.0 wt. % ethanol, ClSi(OEt)3 can be obtained at a maximum yield of 90% based on Cl in the raw material composition. Similar to the yields exemplified in the preceding paragraphs, however, the yield based on Si important on cost computation in the raw material composition is 82%. Accordingly, much higher yields are still required. Implementation without humidification is also desired.
Non-Patent Document 4 (Trudy Instituta-Moskovskii Khimiko-Tekhnokogcheskii Institut imeni D.I. Mendeleeva (1972), No. 70 140-2) reports that reaction of ClSi(OEt)3 with Et2NH yields Et2NSi(OEt)3. Isolation/purification of ClSi(OEt)3 is not preferable, however, because it causes substance loss not a little and increases purification steps.
On the other hand, in recent years, for polymerization of α-olefins, JP-A 57-63310 (Patent Document 2), JP-A 57-63311 (Patent Document 3), JP-A 58-83016 (Patent Document 4), JP-A 59-58010 (Patent Document 5) and JP-A 60-44507 (Patent Document 6) propose many a high-activity carrier catalyst system. The system comprises a solid catalyst component essentially including magnesium, titanium, a halogen element and an electron donor; an organometallic compound of a I-III group metal in the periodic table; and an electron donor. Further, JP-A 62-11705 (Patent Document 7), JP-A 63-223008 (Patent Document 8), JP-A 63-259807 (Patent Document 9), JP-A 2-84404 (Patent Document 10), JP-A4-202505 (Patent Document 11) and JP-A4-370103 (Patent Document 12) disclose polymerization catalysts characterized by the use of a specific organosilicon compound as the electron donor. For example, JP-A2-84404 (Patent Document 13) discloses a process in which a cyclopentylalkyldimethoxysilane or a dicyclopentyl dimethoxysilane is employed as the electron donor. The catalyst system using such the silicon compound is not always excellent in hydrogen response. JP-A 63-223008 (Patent Document 14) discloses a catalyst system using a di n-propyldimethoxy silane excellent in hydrogen response as the electron donor. The system can not satisfy stereomainity, however, and has a problem because the stiffness of an α-olefin polymer can not be enhanced.
JP-A 9-40714 (Patent Document 15) discloses an alkoxysilane compound having an aliphatic amino substituent. JP-A8-3215 (Patent Document 16), JP-A8-100019 (Patent Document 17) and JP-A 8-157519 (Patent Document 18) propose processes for production of α-olefins using an alkoxysilane having an aliphatic amino substituent as the catalyst component. These processes, however, can not always satisfy hydrogen response in performance particularly. JP-A 8-143620 (Patent Document 19) proposes a process for production of α-olefins using a dialkoxysilane having two aliphatic amino substituents as the electron donor. The process, however, can not always satisfy polymerization activity and stereomainity in performance.
JP-A8-120021 (Patent Document 20), JP-A8-143621 (Patent Document 21) and JP-A 8-231663 (Patent Document 22) disclose processes using cycloaminosilane compounds. The use of these specifically described compounds as the catalyst component can achieve high stereomainity but can not always satisfy hydrogen response.
The carrier catalyst system using the electron donor can not always satisfy the balance among polymerization activity, stereomainity and hydrogen response in performance. Accordingly, a further improvement is desired.
In recent years, in the field of injection molding mainly aimed at automobile materials and household electrical appliance materials, for the purpose of thinning and light-weighting of goods, there are increased needs for α-olefin polymers with high melt fluidity, high stiffness and high heat resistance. For production of such the α-olefin polymers, the use of a catalyst with high hydrogen response is important on polymerization. Specifically, for adjustment of the molecular weight of an α-olefin polymer, hydrogen is generally employed as a chain transfer agent that coexists in the polymerization system. In particular, elevation of the melt fluidity of the α-olefin polymer requires the molecular weight lowered by hydrogen. A melt flow rate is employed as an index for the melt fluidity of the α-olefin polymer. The lower the molecular weight of the α-olefin polymer, the higher the melt flow rate becomes relationally. Lower hydrogen response requires a large quantity of hydrogen in the polymerization system to elevate the melt flow rate of the α-olefin polymer. To obtain the α-olefin polymer with the same flow rate, higher hydrogen response does not require the quantity of hydrogen as large as the lower hydrogen response requires. Therefore, the lower hydrogen response requires introduction of an excessive quantity of hydrogen into the polymerization system to elevate the melt flow rate of the α-olefin polymer. Accordingly, in production processes, for safety, a polymerization device with a limited resistance to pressure elevates partial pressure of hydrogen. In such the relation, the polymerization temperature should be lowered, exerting an ill effect on the production speed and the quality as a problem.
The above-described organosilicon compounds are synthesized using an organometallic reagent such as a Grignard reagent and accordingly the raw material reagent is expensive. Therefore, the use of the organosilicon compound synthesized in the process to produce an α-olefin polymer inevitably makes the α-olefin polymer itself expensive and causes a problem on production cost.    Patent Document 1: JP-A 5-310751    Patent Document 2: JP-A 57-63310    Patent Document 3: JP-A 57-63311    Patent Document 4: JP-A 58-83016    Patent Document 5: JP-A 59-58010    Patent Document 6: JP-A 60-44507    Patent Document 7: JP-A 62-11705    Patent Document 8: JP-A 63-223008    Patent Document 9: JP-A 63-259807    Patent Document 10: JP-A 2-84404    Patent Document 11: JP-A 4-202505    Patent Document 12: JP-A 4-370103    Patent Document 13: JP-A 2-84404    Patent Document 14: JP-A 63-223008    Patent Document 15: JP-A 9-40714    Patent Document 16: JP-A 8-3215    Patent Document 17: JP-A 8-100019    Patent Document 18: JP-A 8-157519    Patent Document 19: JP-A 8-143620    Patent Document 20: JP-A 8-120021    Patent Document 21: JP-A 8-143621    Patent Document 22: JP-A 8-231663    Non-Patent Document 1: J. Am. Chem. Soc., Vol 68, p. 70, 1946    Non-Patent Document 2: Khimiya i Industriya, No. 6, p. 248, 1983    Non-Patent Document 3: (Zhurnal Obshchei Khimii, vol. 65, p. 1142, 1995)    Non-Patent Document 4: Trudy Instituta-Moskovskii Khimiko-Tekhnokogcheskii Institut imeni D. I. Mendeleeva (1972), No. 70 140-2